Name: Balinese seafood satay (Sate lilit)
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 20
Ingredients: 300 gm skinless snapper or flathead fillet, pin-boned, coarsely chopped; 300 gm uncooked medium prawns, peeled; 80 gm desiccated coconut, moistened with 60ml coconut milk or water (1 cup); 5 kaffir lime leaves, thinly sliced; 1 tbsp dark palm sugar (see note); 10 thin lemongrass stalks, cut into 15cm lengths, for skewers (see note); Pinch of brown sugar mixed with 60ml vegetable oil, for brushing; Spice paste; 1 vine-ripened tomato, coarsely chopped; 25 gm each ginger and fresh turmeric, coarsely chopped (5cm piece); 4 each long red chillies and red birdseye chillies, coarsely chopped; 4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped; 3 small golden shallots, coarsely chopped; 5 candlenuts (see note); 2 lemongrass stalks, white part only, finely chopped; 2 tsp coriander seeds; 1 tsp shrimp paste (see note); ½ tsp black peppercorns, finely crushed; 80 gm tamarind pulp, mixed with 60ml water, strained, solids discarded (¼ cup); 50 ml vegetable oil

Balinese seafood satay (Sate lilit)

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for Balinese seafood satay (Sate lilit)

Padang chilli fried chicken (Ayam goreng balado) — Balinese seafood satay (Sate lilit)

Serves 20

Prep

40M

Cook

20M

Total

It may come as a surprise but Indonesia is the home of the satay (sate in Indonesia) and there are literally hundreds of permutations. Satay can be made with beef, poultry, goat, pork, rabbit, offal, turtle and even minced seafood wrapped around sticks of lemongrass. The last is called sate lilit and it originated in Bali. It’s not served with the usual peanut sauce, or any sauce for that matter, and it’s absolutely irresistible. This recipe is adapted from The Food of Bali by Heinz von Holzen.

Ingredients

300 gm skinless snapper or flathead fillet, pin-boned, coarsely chopped

300 gm uncooked medium prawns, peeled

80 gm desiccated coconut, moistened with 60ml coconut milk or water (1 cup)

5 kaffir lime leaves, thinly sliced

1 tbsp dark palm sugar (see note)

10 thin lemongrass stalks, cut into 15cm lengths, for skewers (see note)

Pinch of brown sugar mixed with 60ml vegetable oil, for brushing

Spice paste

1 vine-ripened tomato, coarsely chopped

25 gm each ginger and fresh turmeric, coarsely chopped (5cm piece)

4 each long red chillies and red birdseye chillies, coarsely chopped

4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

3 small golden shallots, coarsely chopped

5 candlenuts (see note)

2 lemongrass stalks, white part only, finely chopped

2 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp shrimp paste (see note)

½ tsp black peppercorns, finely crushed

80 gm tamarind pulp, mixed with 60ml water, strained, solids discarded (¼ cup)

50 ml vegetable oil

Method

Main

1.For spice paste, process ingredients (except tamarind paste and oil) in a food processor until a fine paste forms, adding a little water if necessary. Add oil and spice paste to a frying pan over medium heat and stir-fry until fragrant (5-6 minutes). Add tamarind and stir frequently until paste is golden (3 minutes), then set aside to cool.

2.Process fish and prawns in a food processor until just blended, then transfer to a bowl and mix with coconut, lime leaves, palm sugar and spice paste. To test the flavour, fry a little mixture in oil until cooked through. Adjust seasoning to taste if required, then mould heaped tablespoons of mixture onto one end of lemongrass stalks.

3.Heat a char-grill pan over high heat. Grill satay, turning and brushing occasionally with brown sugar and oil mixture, until golden and cooked through (5-6 minutes each side). Serve hot.

Note Dark palm sugar is made from the coconut palm; in Indonesia it’s called gula Jawa. If lemongrass is unavailable, you can use bamboo paddles or wooden chopsticks as skewers. Soak them in water for 20 minutes then dry them before using. Candlenuts are available from Asian grocers. Shrimp paste, known as terasi in Indonesia, is available from Asian grocers. It requires roasting before use: preheat oven to 200C, wrap shrimp paste in foil and roast until fragrant (5 minutes).
This recipe is from the June 2011 issue of Australian Gourmet Traveller.
Notes